Stranding machine system

ABSTRACT

In a stranding machine system with a single lay and take up device for the rope a take up coil (5) is provided and a single lay rotor (7) which rotates and encompasses the take up coil are coaxially disposed. The take up coil and the single lay rotor are moveable reciprocally relative to each other for generating a lay stroke for the rope in an axial direction and the rope is fed from the longitudinal axis of the single lay rotor along the same to the take up coil. For taking up a difference of the speeds is generated for the take up coil and the single lay rotor depending from the given obtained take up diameter of the take up coil. The take up coil with the nominal speed and the single lay rotor for generating the required speed for the differential speed are separately rotatably driven. Thereby, the take up roller may be mounted stationary free floating in axial direction and the single lay hollow rotor member may also be free floating mounted but reciprocally driven in axial direction.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a stranding machine system with asingle lay device and take up device for the rope. More particular-y, itrelates to a device of this type in which a take up coil and a singlelayer rotor, which rotates and encompasses the take up coil, aredisposed coaxially with respect to each other, the take up coil and thesingle layer rotor are movable axially in a reciprocating movementrelative to each other for generating a laying stroke for the rope, andthe rope is guided along the single lay rotor to the take up coil,whereby for the take up process a difference of the speed of the take upcoil and the single lay rotor is generated depending from the givenobtained taking up diameter of the take up coil.

In a known stranding machine system of this type (disclosed in DE-PS No.20 37 607) the rope is premade in a so-called prestranding machine witha driven drawing off device Thereafter the rope is fed to the single laydevice and take up device in such a manner that it is fed to a singlelay rotor in front of the take up coil and along the same to the take uproller This take up roller is mounted in a free lying manner, isseparately driven and is reciprocally moved in axial direction forlaying the rope. Therefore, the take up coil immerses into and out ofthe known single lay rotor. When the operating speed is obtained afterthe smooth start of the system, the speed of the single lay rotorremains constant until the take up roller is full or until an eventualemergency breaking is required, generally over a longer period ofproduction. In order to take up the rope with the known system, the takeup coil must rotate coaxially with the single lay rotor at a high speed.However, as is known the take up coil must have a certain differentialrotating speed in relationship to the single lay rotor. Since the ropeis fed with a constant trajectory speed or feeding speed, the speed ofthe take up roller must be adjusted in dependence on the instantaneouswinding diameter and thereby on the degree of filling of the coil, as iswell known. At first, the differential rotating speed of the almostempty coil will be relatively high in relationship to the single layrotor, but reduces during an increasing take up diameter.

In the known systems (for example, in accordance with DE-PS No. 20 37607 or in other comparable single lay devices and take up devices) thecontrol of the rotating and stroke speeds of the reciprocating take upcoil is performed in dependence on the predetermined rotating speed ofthe associated single lay rotor, on the one hand, and with considerationof the associated feeding speed of the rope derived therefrom, on theother hand, for maintaining constant rope lay lengths or tolerable ropetensile stress. Thereby, the take up roller is actually secondarily fedwith respect to the primarily controlled single layer rotor.

Such an adaptation of the take up rotating speed and the laying strokespeed can be realized without any difficulties from the point of view ofthe control technology, as long as the production is performed with aconstant rope speed or must be only slightly accelerated or delayed.However, for particularly rapid stranding machine systems the knownsolution of the single layer device and the take up device results inpractically insuperable difficulties, i.e., for the following reasons:An increase in the lay number simultaneously leads to a highest degreeof stranding speed or rope feeding speed and thereby also to acorresponding rotating speed for the take up coil, which either leads orlags with a relative low speed difference with respect to the single layrotor in the known solution. A severe increase of the rotating speed ofthe separately driven take up coil in the known system results inundesirable high demands and disadvantages. In particular when strandingthin or tensile sensitive stranding elements difficulties occur for thefollowing reasons: When taking up a rope on a take up roller whichrotates around its own axis, the control of the tensile stress of therope to be taken up is necessarily always associated with acorresponding change of the rotating speed of the coil. A take up drivemust be provided, on the one hand, and a brake which acts on the take upcoil, on the other hand. Unforseeable and quickly applied emergencybraking of the take up roller are critical by maintaining a constanttensile stress in ropes and in particular with tensile sensitive ropes,for example, thin but multiwired high-voltage stranded wire made fromcopper. The particular difficulty for a coordinated rapid braking of thesingle lay rotor and the take up coil is that the take up coil whichlags behind the rotor has a completely variable mass and above all anincreased degree of a variable mass inertia moment depending on theobtained degree of take up. The dynamic mass inertia is proportionallyof the fourth power of the obtained take up diameter. The braking momentis directly proportional to the mass inertia moment and the braking timeis reversely proportional to the braking moment, which means, that formaintaining of uniform braking times a braking equipment would beprovided for the single lay rotor, on the one hand, and the lagging takeup coil, on the other hand, which would have to be equipped with anextremely high set range for the unforseeable large breaking moment.Thereby this equipment must also be able, despite an excessive variationspan, to completely brake within a few seconds accurately controlled byhigh speeds. Such a braking equipment would be realizeable in practiceonly with great efforts and would therefore not be feasable eithertechnically, or economically. In the known systems such emergencybrakings would result in damages to the rope or in loop forming, or thelike. Therefore, the worst disadvantage of the known systems is seen,above all, in that the take up coil must perform the axial lay strokemovement with its relatively large and variable mass, on the one hand,and must be controlled, i.e., must be controlled in its given movementconditions in its rotating speed during the operation and in particularduring the described brakings, on the other hand.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a strandingmachine system with a particular design of the single lay device andtake up device, in which a reciprocating take up coil with its rotatingspeed controlled in dependence on the degree of its filling condition iseliminated, and in particular a sufficient taking up of the rope isobtained even with the highest lay speed and rotating speeds of rotatingparts of the machine, while simultaneously danger of overstressing ofthe rope to be taken up and in particular tensile sensitive ropes iseliminated, and the obtainable speeds and numbers of lays are increasedwithout the described shortcomings, also under extreme operatingconditions, in particular during emergency braking, so that thedescribed dangers for the rope to be taken up are eliminated.

This object is obtained in accordance with the invention in that thetake up coil is driven with the nominal lay speed and the single layrotor is driven with the speed which is required for generating thedifferential speed, and they are driven separately from one another.Thus, the advantage is obtained that the take up coil with itsrelatively large and in particular variable mass must not be subjectedto a speed change. Instead, it is achieved that the single lay rotorwhich is easier to be designed with practically uniform mass is drivenin dependence on the rope feeding speed or on the rope pull, on thenominal lay speed and on the instantaneous diameter of the take up coil,and with the given required own speed and can be controlled in its speedfor generating the required differential speed, thus being able to beadjusted to the rotating speed of the take up coil. A further advantageis gained in that, in contrast to the described known systems, thesingle lay rotor, which encompasses the take up coil, can follow withits practically constant and relatively small mass and thereforeconstant, smallest possible mass inertia moment, the heavy take up coilwhich is variable in its mass inertia, i.e., even during the describedrapid braking. The control of changing the speed of the single layrotors is substantially simplified, in particular a so-called guidedbraking, since no control is required for the variable mass and therebyfor the variable mass inertia moment of the take up coil. The single layrotor with its very small and, above all, constant mass inertia momentmay be braked during speed changes and in particular during braking, sothat the described dangerous overstressings are eliminated, inparticular in sensitive ropes and rope elements. Altogether,substantially higher speeds and lay speeds may be controlled during thetake up process, in particular also in the case of braking.

In accordance with one embodiment of the invention the speed of thesingle lay rotor and thereby the differential speed between the take upcoil and the single lay rotor is controlled in dependence on the tensilestress of the rope being fed to the single lay rotor, corresponding tothe take up diameter on the take up roller. Since the change of the takeup diameter on the take up coil results in a change in tensile stress ofthe rope being fed to the single lay rotor, this tensile stress is usedin a simple manner for determining the required speed and thereby for acontrolled take up process in dependence on the take up diameter.Simultaneously, the required tensile stress is obtained through thiscontrol for a constant maintenance being required for the drawing off ofthe rope element.

In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, the take up coilis mounted free lying and nondisplaceable in axial direction, and thesingle lay rotor which encompasses the take up coil as a one sidedclosed hollow element is mounted free lying at the closed side facingaway from the take up coil and is reciprocally driven in an axialdirection. Thus, the advantage is obtained in that the take up coil andits drive with the nominal speed can be operated completely differentlyfrom the lay stroke movement and the control of the differential speed,while the lay stroke movement and the control of the differential speedcan be performed through the single lay rotor with its low and, aboveall, constant mass. Therefore, the structural as well as the functionaldesign of the lay stroke movement and the speed control for the singlelay rotor is substantially simplified. A structural and functionallyparticularly advantageous embodiment of the invention is obtained in afurther design in that the take up roller is mounted on a hollow driveshaft at the end facing away from the feeding side of the rope and thatthis shaft is mounted in a stationary machine part facing the feedingside of the rope, the single lay rotor is rotatably mounted on ashifting carriage on its drive shaft, which in turn is reciprocallydriven on a stationary machine part and is rotatably and displaceablymounted on an extension of its drive shaft in the stationary machinepart, and the rope is guided through the hollow drive shaft of the takeup coil toward the end facing the single lay rotor and from there alongthe longitudinal axis of the single layer rotor to the take up coil.This construction enables at first a safe vibration free mounting of thetake up coil, but simultaneously also its particular favorable positionwith respect to the encompassing single lay rotor. The hollow driveshaft of the take up coil may be connected in a suitable manner with therequired rotating drive or with a suitable lay and/or drawing offdevice. At the feeding side of the rope of this single lay and take updevice, the single lay rotor may be disposed and mounted in a favorableposition because it is independent from the mounting and arrangement ofthe take up coil and can be driven in a rotatable as well as thrustdriven manner. The described rope guide contributes advantageously tothis particular favorable arrangement.

With a further embodiment of the invention it is possible to obtain ahighest possible rope lay speed and quality. For this purpose, in afurther embodiment of the invention, a prestranding machine is coaxiallyswitched in front of the hollow drive shaft of the take up coil with aprestranding rotor with a driven drawing off disk being mounted on ahollow shaft, and the rope which is discharged from the hollow driveshaft is fed to the take up coil. Such a prestranding machine with adriven drawing off disk (for example, in particular a prestranding anddrawing off device in accordance with DE-OS No. 32 09 169 enables asubstantial reduction of the pretension or tensile stress in the rope,before it reaches the single lay and take up device in accordance withthe invention. Therefore, this device is relieved from the task ofdrawing off, so that only the rope tensile stress has to be controlledwithin the limits of the device, which simplifies the design of thesingle lay and take up device substantially and enables a considerablehigh increase of the machine speed, i.e., the rope lay speed withoutincreasing the generated tensile stress in an undue manner (for example,by centrifugal and friction forces).

The prestranding machine and the single lay and take up device inaccordance with the invention can be combined in a simple manner in thatthe hollow drive shaft of the prestranding machine facing the take uprotor and the hollow drive shaft of the take up coil are formed as aunitary piece. Therefore, the prestranding rotor and the take up coilare fixedly coupled in their speeds and execute the nominal speed,whereby the single lay and take up device perform the requiredgeneration of the differential speed and the lay stroke movement in themanner described. The total stranding machine system can be compact anddesigned with simple drive and control means.

For guiding the rope to be taken up on the single lay rotor of thesingle lay and take up device it is essential that particularly tightcurvature radii are avoided with this type of rope guiding and that inparticular the transfer of the initially guided rope in longitudinaldirection at the single lay rotor into the cross sectional plane to thetake up coil is performed without any tight impairing curvature radii oreven breaks during the changing take up direction. For this purpose, ithad been shown to be advantageous that in a further embodiment of theinvention the single lay rotor is provided with at least one radialoutwardly directed protrusion at the outer circumference of its openend, which forms on its outer directed edge a curved guide pathextending in a cross sectional plane, for the rope to be fed to the takeup coil, and that the rope, after being fed on the inner face of therotor jacket, is fed to the beginning of this guide path and moves fromthe end of the guide path to the take up coil, whereby the center pointof the curvature circular segment of the end section of the guide pathis disposed in such a manner that the common tangents of the coil corecircle and the curvature circular segment meet at that point of thesingle lay rotor at which the rope exits the single lay rotor at thestart of the take up process. Thus, it is assured that the rope nevergoes below a permissible curvature radius and that in particular thefeeding of the rope to the take up coil remains at the end of the guidepath without a nonpermissible curvature during the changing take updirection. At the lowest take up diameter, namely the diameter of thecoil core circle at the start of the take up process, the rope is notsubjected to any deflection when exiting the guide path and can lift offat the yielding locations of the guide path during the growing take updiameter, so that any additional curvature at the end of the guide pathis eliminated.

In order to obtain a safe guiding of the rope at the open end of thesingle lay rotor, it is advantageous to provide the open end of thesingle lay rotor at the outer circumference with a collar which coversthe guide path in a radial distance permitting the movement of the rope.

The single lay rotor can be provided with a rope guiding path on itsclosed bottom face extending coaxially with respect to the hollow driveshaft toward the take up coil and having a smaller diameter than theinner diameter of the hollow drive shaft, so that the rope is fedthrough it from the hollow drive shaft to the single lay rotor. In thisconstruction a safe and essentially deflect free feeding of the rope inthe longitudinal axis of the take up coil and single lay rotor isobtained. The rope guiding tube always encompasses the rope which movesin the longitudinal axis, since it constantly encompasses the rope pathbeing generated by the lay stroke movement of the single lay rotorbetween the end of the take up coil and the bottom of the single layrotor.

For reducing and controlling of eventual generated oscillations in thehollow drive shaft due to the free floating mounting of the take uproller it is advantageous that the take up coil is disposed on a hollowcoil tension mandrel made from a fiber reinforced, in particular carbonfiber reinforced laminated material with a high elasticity materialwhich is fixedly mounted with the hollow drive shaft being made ofsteel, whereby the hollow drive shaft has a substantially larger outerdiameter with respect to the outer diameter of the coil tension mandrel.The coil tension mandrel of the described laminated material results inan extremely high rigidity in the required low diameter. The coiltension mandrel can then be connected with the hollow drive shaft whichis enlarged in its diameter, whose bending stiffness reducesoscillations or eliminates them completely.

For generating the required differential speed between the take up coiland the single lay rotor of the single lay device and the take updevice, on the one hand, and the associated lay stroke with respect tothe reciprocal movement of the single lay rotor, a further embodiment ofthe invention is of a particular advantage. It is characterized in thata stepless adjustable drive is switched successively to a drive motorwhich supplies the nominal lay speed for controlling the speed of thesingle lay rotor and thereby the differential speed, the output of thisdrive is rotatably connected with the drive shaft of the single layrotor and for adjusting the stepless adjustable drive a correspondingactual signal is generated by the actual rope pull during the enteringof the rope into the single lay rotor being compared with a nominalsignal corresponding to the nominal rope pull, the comparison signal isfed to a control, whose output signal is fed to the set member (setmotor) of the drive, and for controlling the speed of the displacementmovement of the displacement carriage for the single lay rotor thenominal lay speed and the output speed of the stepless adjustable driveare fed to a sun wheel of a planet wheel drive of a coaxial bevel wheeldrive with an outer gear of the two sun wheels and the output speed ofthe rib of the planet wheel drive is fed, if need be, to the input of alay stroke drive for the displacement carriage by means of a suitabletransmission.

Thereby, it is possible to combine the differential speed between thetake up coil and the single lay rotor as well as the speed of thedisplacement movement of the displacement carriage, namely to control itat an optimum in dependence on the tensile stress of the rope being fedto the single lay rotor and thereby in dependence on the take updiameter on the take up coil for obtaining, in this manner, a sufficientlaying of the rope on the take up coil without exceeding the permissiblerope tensile stress. This is achieved with the assistance of simple androbust means by shunting off the speeds from a single drive motor.

As mentioned above, the braking of the stranding machine system and inparticular the emergency braking in case of a wire break represents aparticular problem. The braking can be obtained in an advantageousmanner in accordance with the invention with the assistance of thestrand lay machine system in accordance with the invention with thedescribed preswitching of a prestranding machine in such a manner thatfor braking the system, in particular in case of a wire break in therope elements, the nominal lay speed of the prestrand rotor and therebythe take up coil are maintained constant in a predetermined totalbraking time during a first predetermined braking time section. Howeverthe drive speed of the drawing off disk and thereby the lay length andfeeding speed of the rope are reduced to a predetermined lowermostpossible degree, and during this and/or after this first braking timesegment the complete braking of the remaining machine parts (drawing offdisk, prestrand rotor, take up coil and single lay rotor) is initiatedand performed within the remaining second braking time segment. Thus,this emergency braking must not be performed under an immediate andlasting short time braking of all involved machine parts with their highmass inertia moments. Rather, the feeding speed of the rope is reducedas much as possible by reducing the lay length at first, so that at aconstant speed of the take up coil a lower rope path with acorresponding reduced take up speed must be taken up and thereafter theactual braking process is performed by braking the remaining machineparts. In this manner the total rope length can be reduced to a minimumduring this braking process. Thereby, it is particularly advantageousthat during the braking process the control of the take up process isnot performed over the take up coil with its especially high massinertia moment, but that the remaining machine parts and in particularthe single lay rotor with its substantially lower, and above all,constant mass inertia moment must be influenced in a controlled manner.A further favorable possibility of braking with these advantagesconsists in a braking process after a predetermined delay curve througha process computer with an advance of the braking time, i.e., a controlwith constant delay value.

In the aforementioned as well as in the following description of theexpression "nominal lay speed" refers always to the speed correspondingto the nominal lay speed of the rope to be made.

Features, further advantages and details of the invention are stated inthe following description of exemplified embodiments of the invention inconjunction with the drawing. For simplification purposes the drawingsare substantially schematic and contain only those parts of thestranding machine system which are required for explaining theinvention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 a partially sectioned side view of one embodiment of thestranding machine system in accordance with the invention with thesingle lay and take up device and a prestranding machine which isswitched in front thereof with a driven drawing off disk,

FIG. 2 a partially sectioned partial view in plan view of the open partof the single lay rotor of the single lay and take up device,

FIG. 3 a schematic perspective view of a single lay rotor of the singlelay and take up device with a rope guide,

FIG. 4 a schematic view of the open end of the single lay rotor inaccordance with FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 as a demonstration of the geometricalrelationsip,

FIG. 5 a sectioned partial view of the take up coil with its hollowdrive shaft and the associated single lay and take up device in aparticular embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

A stranding machine system in accordance with the invention is explainedin its principle in conjunction with a particular embodiment inaccordance with FIG. 1. A prestranding machine, generally designed withVVA, is arranged in front of a single lay and take up device, generallydesignated with ESW, in a stranding machine system. As will be explainedin detail, a prestranding rotor and a hollow take up coil are rigidlycoupled with each other to form a unitary piece. However, it is alreadystated at this point that the single lay and take up device up to thehollow drive shaft of the take up coil can be considered as a completestranding machine system in form of a single lay machine with a take upsystem, to which in a further embodiment a prestranding machine can beseparately pre-arranged by combining the drives, similarly to theprinciple illustrated in FIG. 1.

The prestranding machine which in FIG. 1 is designated as VVA isadvantageously made in such a manner as described in DE-PS No. 32 09169, and, if need be, supplemented in accordance with DE-OS No. 32 26572. The total stranding machine system in accordance with FIG. 1 ismounted on a common machine frame 1. The rope which is made and guidedin the stranding machine system is generally designated with 3. Theprestranding machine is provided with a prestranding rotor 2. A drivendrawing off disk 4 is mounted in the prestranding rotor and wound aroundby a rope 3, as illustrated and described in detail in DE-PS No. 32 09169. For simplification of the illustration a single drawing off disk isschematically illustrated. The prestranding rotor 2 is provided with ahollow drive shaft 6 and is rotatably mounted at both sides at 6a and6b. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, the hollow drive shaft 6 ofthe prestranding rotor 2 extends beyond the shaft mounting 6b in therope feeding direction. A take up coil 5 lies freely on this extensionof the hollow drive shaft 6, as will be described in detail. The take upcoil 5 is connected in one piece with the prestranding rotor 2 by meansof the hollow drive shaft 6 and is therefore always driven with the samespeed, namely a nominal lay speed.

The rope 3 is fed through the hollow prestranding machine VVA and to thesingle lay and take up device which will be described in detail isgenerally designated as ESW. The take up coil 5 has to be considered asa component of the single lay and take up device, as will be explained.

As already explained, the take up coil 5 is driven together with theprestranding rotor 2 with the same speed, namely the nominal lay speed.The rotating drive for the prestranding rotor 2 and thereby the take upcoil 5 which rotates always in uniformly fast and equidirectionalfashion, as well as the rotating drive for the drawing off disk 4 withinthe prestranding rotor 2 in accordance with DE-PS No. 32 09 169 for theassociated schematically illustrated planetary drive with its drive disk8 of the prestranding machine VVA, as well as the rotating drive for thesingle lay rotor 7 of the single lay and take up device ESW arepositively driven from a common drive motor 9 by a mechanical forceddrive. The drive motor 9 drives a drive disk 11 by a shaft 10 which, forexample, drives a drive disk 13 for the hollow drive shaft 6 and therebyfor the prestranding rotor 2 as well as for the take up coil 5 by meansof a drive belt 12. Furthermore, by means of an adjustable drive 14, thedrive system for the drawing off disk in the prestranding rotor 2 iscoupled with the shaft 10 of the drive motor 9 by a drive shaft 15 and adrive disk 16 with a drive belt 17, as well as the drive disk 8. Througha further output shaft 18 of the drive motor 9, a stepless drive 19 isdriven. This drive 19 is remotely adjustable by means of a suitable setmember, for example, an electric set motor y. A drive shaft generallydesignated with the numeral reference 24 for the rotating drive of thesingle lay rotor 7 is coupled by means of its output shaft 20 and a beltpulley 21 as well as a belt 22 and a drive disk 23. A drive shaft 24which is a two part shaft, permits an axial movement of the two partsagainst each other during transmission of the rotation, for example,with assistance of a bushing with an endless ball rotation or aso-called rotating movement ball bushing with a profile shaft rigidlyconnected with the drive disk 23.

At the start of the stranding, the transmission relationship isdetermined on the adjustable drive 14, and thereby the speedrelationship between the speed for the drawing off disk 4 and the speedof the prestranding rotor 2 and therefore the rope lay length to begenerated by the prestranding machine VVA is defined.

As already explained, the single lay rotor 7 of the single lay and takeup device ESW must advance or advantageously lag behind the take up coil5 with a corresponding differential speed in dependence on the ropefeeding speed and on the speed of the prestranding rotor 2 and therebysimultaneously the take up coil 5, and in dependence on the given takeup diameter obtained by the take up coil 5. The transmissionrelationship on the stepless adjustment drive 19 must be constantlyautomatically adjusted until reaching the full winding of the take upcoil 5, beginning with a differential speed with an empty take up coil5.

As already described before, the rope 3 is fed through the hollow driveshaft 6 of the prestranding rotor 2 and take up coil 5 from thelongitudinal axis of the single lay rotor 7 and along of the same to thetake up coil 5, as illustrated schematically in FIG. 1.

In accordance with the invention, the described controlled change of thetransmission relationship on the adjustment drive 19 for changing thedifferential speed between the single lay rotor 7 and the take up coil 5depending on the winding condition, is performed in the exemplifiedembodiment of FIG. 1 in the following manner: In order for the rope notto slip on the drawing off disk 4 it must be tensioned with a minimumtension load after leaving the drawing off disk 4 in accordance with theknown Eulerschen rope winding formula. The single lay rotor 7 with itsshaft 24 is axially loaded on the deflection location of the rope whenentering into the single lay rotor 7, depending from the tension load.Over an axial shaft mounting 25, with the outer part of the drive shaft24 supported in a carriage 39 which still has to be described, thesingle lay rotor 7 presses more or less a pressure measuring devicewhich is arranged at this location and formed, for example, as aso-called force absorber 26. The actual rope tension measured as apressure measuring value is compared in a control 27 with a nominal ropetension which is predetermined by a potentiometer 28 adjusted before thestart of the stranding process. If the differential speed of the singlelay rotor 7 is too high with respect to that of the take up coil 5, theactual rope tension increases in the area of the single lay rotor 7. Thepressure on the pressure measuring device 26 also increases in thiscase. The control 27 then acts in a superimposed manner on set member y.The transmission relationship is corrected by means of drive 19 untilthe differential speed between the single lay rotor 7 and the take upcoil 5 is reduced to corresponding values. During a nonpermissiblereduction of the actual rope tension in the rope 3 the differentialspeed is reversely increased by the described device until theequilibrium is again restored.

Thus the speed of the single lay rotor 7 and thereby the differentialspeed between the single lay rotor 7 and take up coil 5 is controlled independence on the tensile stress of the rope 3 which is fed to thesingle lay rotor 7 and corresponding to the winding diameter on take upcoil 5.

For winding up of the rope the already illustrated axial reciprocatingmovement of the single lay rotor 7 is to be performed. This so-calledlay stroke movement of the single lay rotor 7 is performed in accordancewith the invention in the following manner:

The true take up speed, i.e., the differential speed, the rope feedingspeed, as well as the lay step width which has to be adjusted before thestart of the production depending on rope thickness or rope diameter,are decisive for the lay stroke speed. In the exemplified embodiment ofFIG. 1 the required control and regulation of the lay stroke independence on the described differential speed are explained. Thenominal lay speed with which the take up coil 5 rotates is picked up bya rotating output gear 29 and by the shaft 20 through a belt disk 21associated with the input speed of the drive shaft 18 of drive 19, onthe one hand, and the speed of the single layer rotor 7, on the otherhand. The rotating direction of the gear 29 is reversed with a countergear 31 which is in camming engagement therewith. The rotation of a beltdisk 30 is transmitted through a drive belt 32 to a belt disk 33. Thedrive wheels or disks 31 and 33 are connected through associated shaftswith one each sun wheel of a planet wheel drive designed as a coaxialbevel wheel rotating drive with an outer gear of the two sun wheels inthe schematically illustrated manner. The sun wheels are rotatablyconnected with an encompassing planet wheel rib. The rib in return isfixedly connected with an output wheel 34. Thus, the speed of the rib ofthe planet wheel drive is transmitted through a drive belt 35 to anassociated drive disk 36. The drive disk 36 drives an axiallydisplaceable displacement carriage 39 by means of a schematically shownreverse drive 37 which is designed in a suitable manner and a lay strokespindle 38, which in accordance with FIG. 1 supports the mounting boxfor the single lay rotor 7 with its associated rotating drive shaft 24of the single lay and take up device ESW.

In order to also adjust the lay stroke and the lay stroke speed in astepless manner, it may be advantageous to use a known roller cage drivefor traversing movements, instead of the illustrated reverse drive.

As already stated before, the embodiment in accordance with FIG. 1represents a stranding machine system in an embodiment wherein aprestranding machine with a single lay and take up device are coupled inaccordance with the invention. Further embodiments in deviation fromFIG. 1 are possible. First of all, it is possible to separately driveand mount the single lay rotor 2 with its drawing off disk 4, on the onehand, and the take up coil 5 with the associated hollow drive shaft, onthe other hand, in contrast to FIG. 1, that is, to "separate" the driveshaft 6 and to mount both machine segments accordingly. Thereby, thehollow drive shaft of the take up coil 5 is advantageously mounted twiceon a larger length and an enlarged diameter for avoiding oscillations.

A further embodiment consists in that a prestranding machine inaccordance with FIG. 1 is not used at all and that the single lay andtake up device in accordance with the invention are designedindependently from each other as a single lay machine with a take updevice. Thereby, the take up coil 5 with its hollow drive shaft 6 isalso mounted on an independent machine frame within the total frame 1,again advantageously on a longer hollow drive shaft and a doublemounting in a larger distance with an enlarged shaft diameter.

The stranding machine system illustrated in FIG. 1 ends on thedash-dotted separating line L. Such a system represents a completesingle lay machine with a take up device which can be operated on itsown or with other pre-arranged systems.

FIGS. 2 to 4 illustrate a particularly advantageous embodiment of thesingle lay rotor 7 in a schematic manner for reasons of rigidity and inparticular for reasons of an optimum feeding of the rope.

As shown in FIG. 1 and particularly in FIG. 3, the single lay rotor 7 ofthe single lay and take up device ESW is formed as a one sided closedhollow element encompassing the take up roller. The rope 3 is fedthrough the hollow drive shaft 6 of the take up coil 5 and to the endfacing away from the single lay rotor, and from there from thelongitudinal axis of the single lay rotor 7 and along of the same to thetake up coil 15. Thereby, it is required to guide the rope from itslongitudinal guide into a circumferential or tangential movement, so asto feed it to the take up coil 5. The feeding on the body of the singlelay rotor 7 is performed in a suitable manner, for example, throughceramic tubes, sliding paths, hollow pins, or the like. The basic ropefeeding is illustrated in particular in FIG. 3.

In accordance with the invention, the single lay rotor has at least oneradial outwardly directed protrusion 40 provided on the outercircumference of its open end and forming a guide path which in itscross sectional plane is curved for the rope 3 to be fed to the take upcoil 5, as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 4. Thereby, the rope 3, after itsfeeding along the inner face of the jacket of the single lay rotor 7, isfed to the beginning of this guide path 40 and moves from the end of theguide path 40 to the take up coil 5.

For a sufficient rope feeding it is highly advantageous not to go belowa lowermost possible curvature radius at any location. This becomescritical at the location at which the rope leaves the guide path at theprotrusion 40 for moving tangentially to the take up roller 5. With thistype of feeding, different rope movements have to be taken intoconsideration at the end of guiding path 40 with an empty coil core, onthe one hand, and with a filled coil, on the other hand. FIG. 4schematically illustrates geometrical relationships and demonstrates afurther embodiment in conjunction therewith: In order to avoid anyimpermissible tight tope curvature and in particular to avoid a ropebreak when leaving the guide path 40, the center point M of a curvaturecircular segment of the end segment 40a of the guide path 40 is disposedin such a manner in accordance with the invention that a commom tangent41 of a coil core circle 5a and a curvature circular segment 40a meet atthe point T of the circumference of the single lay rotor 7 at whichpoint the rope leaves the single lay rotor 7 at the start of the take upprocess. These geometric relationships are schematically illustrated inFIG. 4, and both extreme positions of the rope feeding on the take uproller 5 are also schematically illustrated in FIG. 3. FIG. 3 alsoillustrates a second protrusion mounted diametrically to the protrusion40 and compensating the imbalance generated by this protrusion. It isnot required for the operation of the device.

As FIG. 2 illustrates, the open end of the single lay rotor 7 isprovided with a collar 42 on the outer circumference, which covers theguide path in a radial distance, thus permitting movement of the rope.

FIG. 5 illustrates in a sectioned partial view a particular embodimentof the single lay and take up device for avoiding disadvantageous ropeoscillations during the movement of the rope between the take up roller5 and the single lay rotor 7, thus providing an accurate rope feeding.As FIG. 5 illustrates, the single lay rotor 7 is provived on its closedbottom face 7a with a rope guiding tube 43 extending coaxially to thehollow drive shaft 6 and directed towards the take up coil 5. The ropeguiding tube 43 has a smaller outer diameter than the inner diameter ofthe hollow drive shaft 6, and the rope 3 is fed through the tube 43 fromthe hollow drive shaft 6 to the single lay rotor 7. Furthermore, asillustrated in FIG. 5, the take up coil 5 is mounted on a hollow coiltension mandrel 44 made of a fiber reinforced, in particular carbonfiber reinforced laminated material with a high modulus of elasticity.The coil tension mandrel 44 is fixedly connected with the hollow driveshaft 6 which is made from steel, and the hollow drive shaft 6 has asubstantially greater outer diameter with respect to the outer diameterof the coil tension mandrel 44, so as to achieve a high stabilityagainst oscillations.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or twoor more together, may also find a useful application in other types ofconstructions differing from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in astranding machine system, it is not intended to be limited to thedetails shown, since various modifications and structural changes may bemade without departing in any way from the spirit of the presentinvention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist ofthe present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge,readily adapt it for various applications without omitting featuresthat, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essentialcharacteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention.

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent isset forth in the appended claims:
 1. A stranding machine system,comprising a single lay and take up coil device for a rope, said deviceincluding a take up coil and a coaxial single lay rotor having alongitudinal axis and being rotatable and encompassing said take upcoil, said take up coil and said single lay rotor being movable axiallyin a reciprocating movement relative to each other for generating a laystroke so that the rope is fed from said longitudinal axis of saidsingle lay rotor along the same to said take up coil, said take up coilbeing rotatably driven with a nominal lay speed and said single layrotor being separately rotatably driven with a speed required togenerate a differential speed in dependence upon an obtained take updiameter, said single lay rotor being formed as a hollow element whichis closed at its one side, said take up coil being mounted freely lyingin an axial direction, said single lay rotor encompassing said take upcoil and being mounted freely lying on said closed one side, said singlelay rotor being driven reciprocably in the axial direction; and meansfor separately rotatably driving said take up coil with said nominallayer speed and said single lay rotor to generate the differentialspeed, said driving means including a hollow coil drive shaft having anend supporting said take up coil so that said take up coil is mounted onsaid end, said driving means also including a rotor drive shaft which isreciprocably displaceable and carries said single lay rotor so that saidsingle lay rotor is rotatably mounted on said rotor drive shaft.
 2. Astranding machine system as defined in claim 1, wherein said drive meansfurther including a reciprocably displaceable carriage which rotatablysupports said rotor drive shaft; and further comprising a stationarymachine part arranged so that said displacing carriage is drivenreciprocably on said stationary machine part.
 3. A stranding machinesystem as defined in claim 2, wherein said drive means includes a drivemotor for controlling the speed of said single lay rotor and thereby thedifferential speed, and a stepless drive successively switched to saiddrive motor and having an output rotatably connected with said rotordrive shaft and generating an actual signal corresponding to an actualtensile stress during entry of the rope into said single lay rotor foradjusting said stepless drive being compared with a nominal signalcorresponding to a nominal tensile stress so as to form a comparisonsignal; and further comprising control means receiving the comparisonsignal and producing an output signal; a set member for said steplessdrive and receiving said output signal of said control means; and meansfor regulating the speed of a displacement of said displacement carriageof said single lay rotor.
 4. A stranding machine system as defined inclaim 3, wherein said displacement carriage has a layer stroke devicehaving an input, said regulating means including a planet wheel drivewhich is formed as a coaxial bevel wheel rotating drive with two sunwheels, so that for regulating the speed of the displacement movement ofsaid displacement carriage a nominal lay speed is fed and an outputspeed of said stepless adjustable drive is fed, after a rotationreversal of one of the rotations, to a respective one of said sun wheelsof said planet wheel drive, and an output signal of said planet wheeldrive is fed to said input of said lay stroke device for saiddisplacement carriage.
 5. A stranding machine system as defined in claim4; and further comprising a transmission through which said outputsignal of said planet wheel drive is fed to said input of said laystroke device for said displacement carriage.
 6. A stranding machinesystem as defined in claim 1; and further comprising a stationarymachine part, said hollow coil drive shaft having an end which ismounted in said stationary machine part.
 7. A stranding machine systemas defined in claim 1; and further comprising a prestranding machineprovided with a prestranding hollow shaft, a prestranding rotor mountedon said prestranding shaft, and a driven drawing off disk provided onsaid prestranding rotor and arranged upstream of said coil drive shaftof said take up coil, so that the rope discharges from said prestrandingshaft of said prestranding rotor and is fed to said coil drive shaft ofsaid take up coil.
 8. A stranding machine system as defined in claim 7,wherein said prestranding shaft of said prestranding rotor and said coildrive shaft of said take up coil together form a unitary element.
 9. Astranding machine system as defined in claim 7; and further comprisingmeans for braking, in particular in the case of a wire break in therope.
 10. A stranding machine system as defined in claim 1, wherein saidsingle lay rotor has an open end with an outer periphery and is providedon said outer periphery of said open end with at least one radiallyoutwardly extending projection, said projection having an outwardlydirected edge which forms in its cross sectional plane a curved guidepath for the rope to be fed to said take up coil, so that the rope afterbeing fed on an inner side of said single lay rotor is fed to a start ofsaid guide path and moves from an end of said guide path to said take upcoil.
 11. A stranding machine system as defined in claim 10, whereinsaid open end of said single lay rotor is provided with a collar on theouter periphery arranged so that said collar covers said guide path witha radial distance permitting the rope to move therethrough.
 12. Astranding machine system as defined in claim 1, wherein said single layrotor has a closed bottom face and is provided on said closed bottomface with a rope guiding path which extends coaxially with said coildrive shaft toward said take up coil and has a smaller diameter thanthat of said coil drive shaft so that the rope is fed through said ropeguide path from said coil drive shaft to said single lay rotor.
 13. Astranding machine system as defined in claim 1; and further comprising ahollow coil tension mandrel arranged to support said take up coil, saidmandrel being composed of a fiber reinforced laminated material with ahigh elasticity coefficient, said coil drive shaft being compsoed ofsteel and fixedly connected with said mandrel, said coil drive shafthaving an outer diameter which is substantially larger than that of saidtension mandrel.
 14. A stranding machine system as defined in claim 13,wherein said coil tension mandrel is composed of a carbon fiberreinforced laminated material.